The Montana Museum of Art & Culture will have to wait a little longer to find a proper showcase for its trove of art.

Monday's news that a Virginia-based developer has purchased the Macy's building in downtown Missoula means that the MMAC, Montana's only state-owned museum devoted to art--and the only state-owned museum that lacks a public building of its own--likely won't be moving into the 134-year-old building in the heart of Missoula.

Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin, and other European Masterpieces from a Private Collection

Through March 12, 2011

This exhibition provides an unprecedented opportunity for visitors to experience works by notable artists from the late 18th to early 20th centuries. Centered on portraiture, the exhibition includes works by Alexander Archipenko, Rosa Bonheur, William Bouguereau, Max Ernst, Paul Gauguin, René Magritte, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, George Romney, Théophile van Rysselberghe, and John William Waterhouse.

It's not too late to sign up for this course being offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UM. The course will use MMAC's exhibition, Renoir, Magritte, Gauguin and other Masterpieces from a Private Collection, as a basis to consider the question of connoisseurship and examine original works by some of history's most notable artists. For more information, contact the MOLLI program at 406.243.2905 or molli@umontana.edu.

The Montana Museum of Art & Culture staff extends a very special thank you to our wonderful Docent Coordinator, Pam Caughey. Pam has done an outstanding job preparing and scheduling a marvelous group of docents for the European Masterpieces exhibition.

Pam is an artist who recently completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing at The University of Montana.